Favorite find: Byrdie

I first became obsessed with blogs, and particularly fashion blogs, in my freshman year of high school. If you asked my parents, they would describe it as the era in which I emerged from my room only for food. As a determined student, I would dutifully research colleges that I could not apply to for another three years and internships that I could not even dream of for at least six more years. 

Of course, I needed plenty of inspiration material to fuel my hunger for all things related to fashion and the up-and-coming online home for the industry. One of the first blogs I began following was WhoWhatWear. I could spend hours watching Hillary and Katherine plan outfits and share wish lists on WhoWhatWearTV. 

In the six years since I first started following the budding blog, it has become a tour de force and can't be stopped. The duo behind WhoWhatWear recently launched a stand-alone online beauty magazine site called Byrdie with Britt Aboutaleb as the editorial director. 

The site is stunning. While I have always been the girl who cared more about what was in her closet than her makeup bag, this site has persuaded me to think otherwise. Beauty blogs are a dime a dozen, but the editorial direction that guides the content on this site sets it apart from any other. 

Simple articles like "How to find the best lipstick at the drug store" are quickly turned into works of art with photos of various shades of the recommended offerings smeared across a white background. I also love the section entitled "Beauty Routine" which highlights what celebrities use to beautify themselves each day with how-tos straight from their own mouths. 

Byrdie has quickly turned me into a beauty girl--will you be next?

New York or California?

via New York Magazine

It's always interesting to observe the reactions of people from my hometown, and even my home state (California), when I inform them that I go to college in New York. Naturally, the first thought that crosses their mind is how I manage to live in such a bustling city. And this is where I must make my first correction: my college is in Westchester County, just a 25-minute (ish) Metro North ride away from that city. 

While it is difficult for Californians to understand that the state of New York extends beyond Manhattan, they often manage to move on to make further inquiries. 

Do I like it there? Yes. Yes, I do. 

New York is completely different from California, especially the city. No, this is not because I live five minutes away from the beach where I surf every day (though I would like to learn how to surf). It's more so because of the atmosphere of these states--the feeling that you get when first stepping off an airplane there. 

I could list the differences between New York and California for years, but those differences don't hold enough significance to me to do so. I love the two states, and their respective bustling cities, specifically for their differences. 

Moving across the country for college has been a completely humbling experience. I have learned more than I ever have in a classroom by doing so, and I know I have many more years of learning ahead of me. It's daunting to think about the future, and I often do so only in small doses or large-scale goals in response to that feeling. 

Daunting is also precisely the word that comes to mind when my companions ask the inevitable question: Do you think you'll stay in New York forever? 

I know that this is an innocent attempt to make conversation, yet I also can't help but contemplate the question seriously. It is truly daunting to think of yourself staying in one place forever, especially at this age. I do love New York--I love for so many reasons that I can't articulate into words. But my heart is also in California. It's in San Francisco, Orange County and Los Angeles. 

My heart is in a million places at once. A million different interests, passions and dreams. But isn't every 20-something feeling the same thing? It's hard for us to see a clear outline of the future. At this point in our lives, it's more of a blur or perhaps a hopeful mirage. 

I always give the same answer to this question: "I don't know. I'll have to see where life and my work take me." Unfortunately, the bare-faced truth is that we often choose where we live not because it's our idea of utopia but it is where we can make a living. Yet I also compliment this answer with a smile, knowing that this uncertainty promises excitement and adventure. 

I know that I will be happy wherever I end up after college, and throughout the rest of my life. After all, my mother does always say that, "It's not what you have, but what you make of what you have." 

I will continue to fall in love with places I've never been and people I've never met. I will continue to fall in love with New York City and the city of angels. Cities hold memories and dreams. Perhaps it isn't the place we love, but the changes that we see in ourselves as we adapt to these new locales.

I could get used to these changes. 

Favorite find: Vintage Bowles

In life, we come across many characters. We meet those that are quirky, type-A, eccentric and charming. There are those that never leave our lives and some that only stay for a moment, but leave an impression to last a lifetime.

Hamish Bowles is certainly a character that is not easy to forget. Formally known as Vogue magazine's editor-at-large, the man is known for his exquisite taste and talent. He has been an avid collector of vintage couture for years, and Vogue has recently made the excellent move to film the man doing what he does best for a new series entitled Vintage Bowles.

Stumbling across this series on Vogue's new video channel (which is quite amazing--I could spend the whole day watching videos from their various series. My other favorites: Vogue Weddings and Beauty Mark) was like stumbling across hidden treasure, or more appropriately a rare couture gown. 

The passion with which Hamish speaks of the clothing that he is searching for and his various expeditions is inspiring. The history that he covers in a mere three minutes, like in the video above that delves into designer Charles James' dresses, leaves me wanting more. 

Discovering things like this is what makes me love fashion and how the industry is evolving alongside technological advancements. This series in particular is unique in that it combines stories of fashion history with a platform where it can be appreciated today. 

Characters always have a story to tell. After all, they are part of the story themselves. I cannot wait to continue watching Hamish weave tales of his colorful past and present through this series. Until the next episode, however, I will satisfy my penchant for all things Hamish with these photos from his Gatsby-themed 50th birthday thrown by Anna Wintour herself. 

Oh, Hamish. 

Thinking of: San Francisco

via sfgirlbybay

Kyle and I are headed to San Francisco today to celebrate my birthday. I've slowly but surely become a Giants fan under his influence, so we will be at AT&T Park tomorrow evening (for my first professional baseball game!). 

I haven't been to SF in so long--I think my last visit was when my age was still in the single digits. I am more than excited for this little escape, and to hopefully fall in love with the bay area all over again. These images have definitely sparked my eagerness to get back to the city by the bay. 

via sfgirlbybay

via Pinterest

via Cachemire & Soie

On quotations & role models: Amelia Earhart

The heroes that we herald in childhood quickly fade from our memories as the years go by. When we're feeling nostalgic, or perhaps simply lonely, we often laugh at what we used to take so seriously once before. Many of us called Mom and Dad our heroes (and oftentimes they still are, or should be), but others saw hearts of gold in the most peculiar places. 

We looked to Michael Jordan in hopes of one day entering the NBA, or Britney Spears as our pop star predecessor. The local baker that made our birthday cakes was more of a magician than a blue-collar worker, and our mailman might as well have driven a spaceship.

While we may not have given our role models much thought as children, they did say things about us and who we were to become. 

I always think it's interesting to think back to learning how to write an essay in school. Rule number one was always: NEVER start with a quote. Using someone else's words meant that you had nothing to say, that you were unoriginal. 

And while it is still frowned upon to use other's words, I believe that our favorite quotations spoken by our role models speak volumes about us. 

I share my birthday with Amelia Earhart, the inspiration behind this post. The image above is a quotation that has hung on my bedroom wall since my freshman year of high school--and it has given me the determination needed to keep pressing on more times than I can count. 

Our quotations and our role models speak of our aspirations--while we are not attempting to become a carbon copy of that person, we are using their words and example as a tool to define ourselves. 

Amelia Earhart defied any and all stereotypes of women in her era. She did not break records as a woman, but as a human. She was the first to cross the Atlantic more than once. Yesterday, she would have turned 116 as I turned 20. 

Amelia Earhart will always be one of my most treasured role models, and I will always look to her words for inspiration to break my own records. 

While quotations by others may not accurately define who we are, they speak of who we want to be. 

“Never do things others can do and will do if there are things others cannot do or will not do.” Amelia Earhart

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The beginning.

I still remember waiting up until midnight the night before my 13th birthday. Perhaps this is because I just watched the episode of Full House where DJ Tanner does the same, or perhaps it is because I love to indulge in the almost too-sweet sentimentality of milestones.

Growing up, I always hated hearing adults complain about getting older. I never understood why every ‘Happy Birthday!’ was complimented with a groan from the recipient.

Yet now I suppose it is all too real–another year older, another year wiser and another year gone.

Of course, such a pessimistic view upon turning 20 would be enough cause for concern to whip out the prescription pad. Luckily, my outlook is completely the opposite.

Your twenties are heralded as your selfish years; the best years of your life; your last chance to take a crazy chance. While I don’t necessarily agree with all of these societal stereotypes, I do agree with the idea that your twenties are a defining decade.

Your twenties can define the direction of your life–but so can your childhood, along with those angsty adolescent years. But for the first time, you’re aware that what happens in the present (and near future) has an impact. And you can harness that power.

I believe that your twenties are not about letting these years define you, but are about defining yourself during these years.

It’s easy to feel invincible on the eve of a new decade. It’s a similar feeling to that one felt every December 31st–a feeling of promise, of a future with limitless potential. In 2013, it’s even easier to see through the cracks in those rose-colored glasses.

There will be bumps along the road. The path to success is not clear, but one that you must make for yourself.

As I enter my twenties in 2013, I am intimidated. Yet, this intimidation is more exciting than ever.

I am ready for this adventure.